Funded with a federal grant for Lifespan Respite awarded by the Administration for Community Living to the New York State Office for the Aging. Award Number 90L10023-02-2

Caregiver Self Assessment Survey

Caregivers alone provide 80% of all long-term care in NYS. NYSCRC understands the unique needs of caregivers. Through training and education, we focus on increasing caregiver access to respite resources. The Caregiver Self Assessment Survey is designed to assist caregivers in recognizing the importance of self-care. Click here to take the survey

9 STEPS t0 RESPITE CARE for Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia, Including Alzheimer's Disease - ARCH National Respite Network

Caregivers of family members with dementia including Alzheimer's disease (D/AD) may face special challenges. Sometimes, individuals with dementia or Alzheimer's disease have unique physical, emotional and behavioral conditions that require specialized care. For example, memory, decisionmaking abilities, and behavior associated with D/AD change over time. This results in changing roles within the family and the need for more intensive levels of care. Providing care can be complicated and challenging and will require careful planning.

It is important for you to be aware of a resource called respite care. Respite services can provide you with a much needed break away from your caregiving responsibilities and this fact sheet can help you find and use respite. Download the Fact Sheet (pdf)

Caregivers of family members with dementia including Alzheimer's disease (D/AD) may face special challenges. Sometimes, individuals with dementia or Alzheimer's disease have unique physical, emotional and behavioral conditions that require specialized care. For example, memory, decisionmaking abilities, and behavior associated with D/AD change over time. This results in changing roles within the family and the need for more intensive levels of care. Providing care can be complicated and challenging and will require careful planning.

It is important for you to be aware of a resource called respite care. Respite services can provide you with a much needed break away from your caregiving responsibilities and this fact sheet can help you find and use respite. Download the Fact Sheet (pdf)

Legislative Updates

GOP Tax Bill Advances in the Senate - ARCH National Respite

Late on Friday evening, December 1, during the Senate debate on the GOP tax bill, a Manager's Amendment was introduced with over sixty changes to the bill. The changes were made to accommodate the last few Republican Senators who remained undecided. The bill makes sweeping changes to the tax code that will result in $1.4 trillion in lost revenue. In addition, it does away with the individual mandate for the uninsured in the Affordable Care Act. The bill passed early Saturday morning on a party line vote of 51-49. The bill will have to be reconciled with the House passed bill in conference. Alternatively, the House could bring up the Senate passed bill for more immediate action. However, 97% of conservative House Republican Study Committee members oppose this strategy.

Read more about the Senate passed bill and differences with the House version.

On November 29, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee reported favorably on the bipartisan Caring for our Veterans Act of 2017 to streamline and strengthen veterans' healthcare services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The chief sponsors of the bill are Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Jon Tester (D-MT), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The bill also expands eligibility for the VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers to veterans of all generations, including Vietnam-era veterans, and requires the VA to implement an information technology system to better support, assess and monitor the caregiver program. The bill can now proceed to the full Senate for a vote.

However, unlike the bipartisan Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act ( S. 591; H.R. 1472) introduced in the House and Senate, the bill does not include reauthorization of the Lifespan Respite Care Program.

Reports and Resources

Medicare Spends More on Socially Isolated Older Adults - AARP

Socially isolated older adults are at greater risk for poor health and death than their well-connected counterparts. This study is the first to examine whether social isolation also affects health care spending among older adults. By examining Medicare spending data, this study found that a lack of social contacts among older adults is associated with an estimated $6.7 billion in additional federal spending annually. It is important to note that prior research has shown that many family caregivers are at increased risk of social isolation if they provide significant assistance and experience a high caregiving burden. Read Report

Family and Other Unpaid Caregivers and Older Adults with and without Dementia and Disability

"A Yale-led study finds that while many family caregivers assist older adults with serious health problems like dementia and disability, the majority aid adults without those issues." Researchers recently reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, that this group of caregivers assisting people without dementia and substantial disability "had the largest number of caregivers experiencing caregiver burden and participation restrictions, and sizable proportions experienced depressive and anxiety symptoms and poor physical health, yet only a small minority accessed supportive services, including caregiver training, respite care, and support groups."